In message , Bob Hobden
writes
"Sacha" wrote...

I'm concerned for the future of this group which I've enjoyed hugely
for 16 years. Some have been here longer than that. But given the
number of those who used to post and who lurk (I know of a few, not
many now) the response to the suggestion that we widen our horizons,
look at a blog and consider looking at others and discussing their
content, were - forgive the pun - seeds on stony ground. I don't know
if this is because of disinterest, complacence or a belief that urg
will continue into the mists of time. It won't. Compare it now to
what it was just 3 or 4 years ago. Facebook and Twitter are taking
over in a big way and while I do understand the resistance so many
urglers have to that and had it myself, those are the facts.
Newsgroups are dying as a result. Today, I have seen maybe 2 or 3
posts. The weather is filthy, few people are out there gardening,
nonetheless what has happened here. Almost nothing. And,
depressingly, I've received an email from someone who says they rarely
look at urg now, see fewer and fewer posts that interest them and will
not be renewing their NIN sub. After all, people, we can't go on
discussing when to harvest onions or plant potatoes, or lily beetle
for ever but that is, indeed, what is happening.

So, I suppose that what I'm saying is that urg has two choices, either
look at fresh material, such as blogs or posts on Twitter from some
very expert gardeners, nurserymen, seedsmen, journalists and discuss
them here, or simply fade quietly into oblivion. If what the majority
choose is the latter, that's fine. It's happening right now, imo and
I'm very sorry to see it. But if the majority want urg to survive, we
do have to think about the big wide world that has overtaken
newsgroups. Really, we do. Before I'm attacked by the usual suspects,
I'd like to say that, either way, it won't affect me that much,
personally. I'll be sorry to see urg go but as long as I can keep in
touch with the friends I've made here, it won't be the wrench it would
have been a very few years ago. If the majority is determined to
turn its head away from gardening blogs, for example, so that we have
fresh material to discuss, so be it. How many more years can we
discuss when to harvest runner beans or plant garlic?


I agree that Newsgroups appear to be fading away quite quickly now, I
posted to another Ng a few days ago a technical question that 3 or 4
years ago would have had probably more than 10 knowledgeable replies by
now, but I've had nothing at all.
My understanding is that the old hands have gone to Forums instead but
they don't appear to be my sort of thing from those that I've seen and
tried, too disjointed somehow. I tried one again yesterday to try to
get an answer to my question but didn't like it at all. What they see
better there than on Newsgroups beats me.
I came off Facebook because I saw nothing in it only dire security
defaults which most don't seem to understand or even care about, even
parents with children don't seem to concern themselves. Having friends
might have helped. :-(
As for Twitter it sounds like a Tower of Babel which would not be my
cup of tea but I suppose I'll have to try it sometime. Perhaps I'll get
into it, millions seem to.

Reading recently that Facebook is leaking customers quite seriously.
I can't abide forums. Disjointed difficult to scan down a thread. Here I
can look at a subject line click down the OP and decide if it's of
interest and if not on to the next thread in a couple of ticks.
Newsnet delivers all the posts from all the groups I subscribe to in
nicely organised threads and I read them at my leisure. Unfortunately in
the rush to the bottom many ISPs no longer offer a news server, indeed
some are dropping e-mail.

--
bert